thursday25
Stillman Brown (aka “Swilly Idol”) of Red Zeppelin wines pours and extols the virtues of his California winery’s syrah, dry rose (or Pink Zeppelin), cabernet-syrah, and chardonnay-viognier blends. There may also be some Black Zeppelin, a syrah-alicante-cabernet blend that’s won several medals and is in limited supply. a 5-9 PM, Lush Wine and Spirits, 2232 W. Roscoe, 773-281-8888. F
saturday26
Tales of the Berghoff, presented by Culinary Historians of Chicago and ChicaGourmets, features talks by Jan and Carlyn Berghoff on their family’s 100-year history in Chicago and by Nancy Ross Ryan, coauthor with Carlyn of The Berghoff Family Cookbook. The program also includes a Q & A, book signing, and reception with hors d’oeuvres. A luncheon of recipes from the cookbook, including chicken schnitzel, sauerbrauten, herbed spaetzle, braised cabbage, and a “parting gift” of root beer cheesecake lollipops will follow. a 10 AM lecture program, noon luncheon, 17 West at the Berghoff, 17 W. Adams, 708-383-7543 or chicagourmets.org, $59 for lecture, reception, and lunch, $15 without lunch.
sunday28
Attendees of the Edward Roberts International Live Fine Wine Auction and Tasting can taste Petrus and Mouton-Rothschild wines, plus a few single-malt scotches, all before lunch. They may also witness the sale of the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction: a rare imperial (equivalent to eight regular bottles) of 1961 Chateau Petrus is expected to go for $150,000. a 11 AM-4:30 PM, Columbia Yacht Club, 111 N. Lake Shore Dr., 312-938-3625 or eriwine.com, $50 for wine tasting, free for auction and breakfast buffet. –Julia Thiel
friday26
German free-jazz reedist Peter BrOtzmann, also a visual artist associated with the Fluxus movement, kicks off his latest stint in Chicago with an opening reception for an exhibit of his artwork. Paintings & Objects, which includes old and new pieces, will be up through the end of November; Brotzmann will return to the gallery tomorrow at 2 PM for a solo performance. a Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1120 N. Ashland, 773-278-1664. F
The Ian Curtis biopic Control, a recommended offering at the Chicago International Film Festival earlier this month, opens commercially today; see Movies for showtimes. a Music Box, 3733 N. Southport, 773-871-6604.
wednesday31
UIC’s African-American studies and performing arts departments and Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council present Break Beats and Funky Drumming: An Oral History of Funk, Soul, and Hip-Hop with Clyde Stubblefield, honoring James Brown’s legendary drummer. Stubblefield, who’s widely considered the most sampled drummer in the world, will participate in a panel discussion with hip-hop pioneer Kool Herc, who’s credited with inventing breakbeat DJing. Herc and Stubblefield will perform together in a jam session afterward; reservations are recommended. a 7 PM, L285 Lecture Hall, 1044 W. Harrison, 312-413-5353. F –Areif Sless-Kitain
friday26
Cited by Susan Sontag as “part of the canon of camp,” Scopitones were 16-millimeter clips of pop singers performing their hits, available on movie jukeboxes throughout Europe and the U.S. during the 1960s. The program Scopitones and Other Delights, culled from the personal collection of Nick Osbourn, includes clips of Neil Sedaka, Francois Hardy, and Dick and Dee Dee. a 4 PM, Univ. of Chicago Film Studies Center, 5811 S. Ellis, room 307, 773-702-8596. F
saturday27
Chicago native Sid Davis was working as John Wayne’s body double in 1950 when he borrowed $1,000 from the star, produced The Dangerous Stranger, and launched a 28-year career making classroom scare films. Local filmmaker Jim Trainor curated You’ve Been Warned: A Tribute to Sid Davis, which collects cautionary shorts by a director Trainor says was “rivaled only by Edward Hopper in his ability to make sunshine depressing.” a 8 PM, Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, 773-293-1447, $8. –J.R. Jones
saturday27
Mario Andretti drew a race car, natch, and Donald Trump a city skyline; these and a whimsical fish sketched by puckish former attorney general John Ashcroft are among the more than 70 casual artworks donated by big names in entertainment for Live Bait Theater’s 19th annual DOODLES BY THE STARS benefit auction. a 6 PM, Live Bait Theater, 3914 N. Clark, 773-871-1212 or livebaittheater.org, $25, $20 in advance.
monday29
The best of this year’s Equity theater crop (or at least what the committee has decided is best) will be showcased at the 39th annual JEFF AWARDS. There’ll be scenes and musical numbers from Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, and other companies, and awards will be handed out in 30 categories. A buffet and martini bar precedes the ceremony. a 6 PM, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, 847-673-6300 or jeffawards.org, $65.
New York Times columnist and longtime theater critic FRANK RICH discusses Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, currently in production at Steppenwolf, with journalist John Callaway as part of the city’s One Book, One Chicago initiative. a 6:30 PM, Harold Washington Library Center, auditorium, 400 S. State, chicagopubliclibrary.org. F –Patrick Daily
thursday25
Economist editorial cartoonist Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher and cast members of Second City’s Between Barack and a Hard Place explore the art of political satire in a revue that mixes comedy, theater, animation, and journalism in a benefit for Gilda’s Club Chicago. a 7 PM, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 312-334-7777, $15 ($10 for Economist subscribers).
tuesday30
Sheldon Patinkin, one of the founders of Second City, and Anne Libera, author of The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, present An Improvised History, the first lecture in a three-week series on comedy in Chicago. a 6:30 PM, Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark, 312-642-4600, $10-$12. –Ryan Hubbard
friday26
You can salsa, merengue, and cha-cha-cha dressed as your favorite character–Snow White, the devil, a French maid–at a Halloween party hosted by Chicago Dance, the city’s megaprovider of ballroom classes. Costumes are optional; kids are welcome till 9. a 8 PM, 3660 W. Irving Park, 773-267-3411, $10.
saturday27
Videographer Nadia Oussenko says that documenting the 18-month creative process behind Molly Shanahan’s solo My Name Is a Blackbird, which premiered last spring, was a challenge to her trust and intuition. She highlights Shanahan’s collaborations with dramaturge Leslie Danzig and Feldenkrais movement coach Kathleen Aharoni in a video screening benefiting Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak. a 7 PM, Loyola University Museum of Art, 820 N. Michigan, 773-743-8014, $50, $30 for students and artists, includes reception afterward.
Choreographer Laurie Goux, outreach coordinator for Neopolitan Lighthouse and Dancers Against Domestic Violence, teaches a class in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. a 2:30-4 PM, Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan, 773-638-0228. F –Laura Molzahn
saturday27
Literary consultant Kathe Telingator, founder of the Chicago Pubic Radio dramatic reading series Stories on Stage, leads a seminar called how to market your book. Topics include writing a book proposal, attracting an agent, and the ins and outs of literary contracts. a 9:30 AM-12:30 PM, Roosevelt University, room 244, 430 S. Michigan, RSVP to lori.raderday@mymail.roosevelt.edu, $40.
The Chicago Public Library offers a book-making workshop for adults. Materials will be provided; you take home the finished product. a 2 PM, North Austin branch library, 5724 W. North, 312-746-4233, reservations required. F
sunday28
Reader critic Mary Shen Barnidge says Qui Nguyen’s play Men of Steel “sparks insights into the complex ethos of graphic novels–prominent among them the question of how flawed human beings with extraordinary talents affect the ecology of society.” The Theater Wit production, scheduled to close today, has been extended through 11/17. a 2:45 PM, Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, $25.
tuesday30
Among the rare books and manuscripts being offered for auction today: a circa 1555 copy of Andreas Vesalius’s De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, a 1702 edition of Cotton Mather’s The Ecclesiastical History of New-England, and handwritten letters from Frank Lloyd Wright. The items can be previewed Sun 10/28, 10 AM-5 PM, and Mon 10/29, 10 AM-6 PM. a Noon, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, 122 N. Aberdeen, 312-280-1212, free to browse. –Jerome Ludwig